Best Accounting Firm
First place: CST Group, Reston, CST-CPA.com, 703-391-2000
Founded in 1973, CST Group’s team of more than 50 staff and accountants specializes in tax, audit and financial concerns for companies in industries including healthcare, technology and construction. The firm’s expertise in rules and regulations makes it especially adept at mergers and acquisitions and business advisory services.
Second place: YHB CPAs & Consultants, Middleburg, YHBCPA.com, 540-687-6381
Third place: Duvall Wheeler, CPAs, Manassas, DuvallWheeler.com, 703-392-9292
Best Architecture Firm
First place: Loveless Porter Architects, LLC, Manassas, LovelessPorterArchitects.com, 703-368-1600
The 35-year-old firm’s specialty is commercial design—projects have included schools, office buildings and shopping centers. Loveless provides full service design and construction services, including some interior detail work. For a church building, the team helped select wood for the construction of pews. Loveless also performs residential design.
Second place: Clites Architects PC, Middleburg, ClitesArchitects.com, 540-687-7019
Third place: McNeill Baker Design Associates, McLean, McNeillBaker.com, 703-992-9707
Best Automotive Repair Shop
First place: Steve’s Auto Repair & Tire, Woodbridge, StevesAutoRepairVA.com, 703-670-8005
An official Goodyear dealer, Steven’s Auto Repair offers services, including inspections, tune-ups and engine repairs and replacements. The team is committed to community outreach, and has opened the shop to help Cub Scouts build Pinewood Derby cars for their annual race, and donated a bus to a local Boys & Girls Club.
Second place: Shannon Auto Repair, Manassas, ShannonAutoSales.com, 703-330-1628
Third place: Olde Towne Auto Repair, Manassas, OTAR.MechanicNet.com, 703-368-0477
Best Cosmetic Surgery Practice
First place: Austin-Weston, The Center for Plastic Surgery, Reston, Austin-Weston.com, 703-893-6168
The most common procedures performed by the four surgeons at Austin-Weston are face-lifts, tummy tucks, liposuction and breast augmentations, but the team also performs specialty procedures, such as otoplasty (ear surgery). Newly offered this year is body contouring, during which body fat is melted with a laser.
Second place: Dr. Christopher C. Chang, Fairfax, DrChristopherChang.com, 703-207-3065
Third place: Loudoun Center for Plastic Surgery, Ashburn, LoudounCenterForPlasticSurgery.com, 703-726-1175
Best Day Spa
First place: Salamander Resort & Spa, Middleburg, SalamanderResort.com, 844-473-7996
Among its facial options are the Diamond White Facial, which helps to even skin tone, and Blueberry Anti-Aging facial. Body treatments include massages (like deep tissue and hot stone) and wraps, such as the Crushed Cabernet and Cashmere Quench. The spa also offers specialized massages to reduce bloating and cellulite.
Second place: Tranquility Day Spa & Salon, Haymarket, TranquilityDaySpa.com, 571-248-4150
Third place: Sugar House Day Spa & Salon, Alexandria, SugarHouseDaySpa.com, 703-549-9940
Best Dental Practice
First place: Metropolitan Dental Centre, Fairfax, FairfaxVirginiaCosmeticDentist.com, 703-503-5031
For Dr. Dan Kelliher (known as “Dr. Dan” around the office), teeth are the family business. Not only was his father a dentist, but so are both of his brothers, and all three of his sisters are dental hygienists. Among the doctor’s specialties are cosmetic dentistry, including dental implants and veneers, and treating periodontal disease.
Second place: Clarendon Dental Arts, Arlington, ClarendonDentalArts.com, 703-525-5901
Third place: Sporting Smiles Pediatric Dentistry and Family Orthodontics, Gainesville, SportYourSmile.com, 703-743-5937
Best Dermatology Practice
First place: Cosmetic Dermatology Center, McLean, Cosmetic-Dermatology-Center.com, 703-827-8600
One of Dr. Nicole Hayre’s specialties is helping clients achieve a youthful look through non-surgical injections—one of the most popular new offerings at the practice is a non-surgical facelift. Also new to the practice is PRP hair restoration, which utilizes patients’ own blood to stimulate rejuvenation by taking platelet-rich plasma from the sample and injecting it directly into the scalp.
Second place: Loudoun Dermatology Associates, Leesburg, LoudounDerm.com, 703-723-7171
Third place: Fair Oaks Skin Care Center, Fairfax, FairOaksSkinCare.com, 703-648-2488
Best Event Planning Company
First place: Simplicity Events by Johanna, Warrenton, SimplicityEventsOnline.com, 703-398-7617
“I love the moments when skeptical fathers come up to us at the end of the wedding and thank us for making it the perfect day for their daughters,” or when a mother “enjoyed the day because we were there to let her be present in the small and meaningful moments,” says owner Johanna Schubert. The firm also plans corporate events.
Second place: Grit & Grace, Leesburg, GritAndGraceInc.com, 703-887-2459
Third place: Creations by Brenda, Gainesville, CreationsByBrenda.com, 703-743-9149
Best Eye Care Provider
First place: The Eyewear Gallery at Reston Town Center, Reston, Eyewear-Gallery.com, 703-709-5400
“When I created The Eyewear Gallery in 2008, my vision was to create a practice to provide professional eye care services in a comfortable, friendly environment,” says founder and optometrist Dr. Dawn Devaney Gammon. The team shares a love of design, often traveling to fashion capitals Paris, Milan and New York to select frames for the gallery’s optical boutique.
Second place: Dr. Finley’s Family Eyecare, HerndonVisionSource-DrFinley.net, 703-471-7810
Third place: Eyetopia, Inc., Leesburg, EyetopiaInc.com, 703-443-6410
Best Financial Planning Firm
First place: MiyeWire, LLC, Reston, MiyeWireLLC.com, 703-925-0308
Most of MiyeWire’s clients are young professionals working for technology or government contractors whom she describes as “D.C. families who have a lot on their plate.” Offering help in a variety of areas, including college funding and retirement planning, the firm’s goal is to help simplify its clients’ financial lives to assist in achieving long-term goals.
Second place: Cassaday & Company, Inc., McLean, Cassaday.com, 703-506-8200
Third place: Edelman Financial Services, Fairfax, EdelmanFinancial.com, 703-818-0800
Best Hair Salon
First place: Mara Hair Studio, Fairfax, MaraHairStudio.comMaraHairStudio.com, 703-591-9099
Housed in a historic home in Old Town Fairfax, Mara Hair Studio’s team of four stylists keep up with new techniques and trends by attending classes at Bumble and Bumble University in New York City. The studio just completed an expansion that opened up its second floor, and recently began offering makeup services.
Second place: Curves Hair Studio, Manassas, CurvesHair.com, 703-257-5722
Third place: Salon Daniel, McLean, SalonDaniel.com, 703-893-5000
Best Home Builder
First place: Stahl Homes, LLC, Vienna, StahlHomesLLC.com, 703-399-9897
Consider Stahl Homes hyper local. The firm, which opened in 2006, builds single-family homes exclusively in the Vienna area. Offering both custom designs and spec homes, the team also assists with things like financing and permitting, sticking with clients all the way through the final walk-through.
Second place: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, Fairfax, Michael-Nash.com, 703-641-9800
Third place: BOWA, Middleburg, BOWA.com, 540-687-6771
Best Hospital
First place: Inova Fairfax Medical Campus, Falls Church, Inova.org, 703-776-4001
A group of Fairfax locals gathered in 1956 to discuss bringing quality healthcare to the region; five years later, Fairfax Hospital was born. Today, as part of the Inova network, the hospital includes the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute, Schar Cancer Institute and Women’s and Children’s hospitals, serving more than two million patients each year.
Second place: Inova Loudoun Hospital, Leesburg, Inova.org/Loudoun
Third place: Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Fairfax, Inova.org, 703-391-3600
Best Independent School
First place: Wakefield School, The Plains, WakefieldSchool.org, 540-253-7500
Serving students in junior kindergarten through 12th grade, the liberal arts preparatory academy features small class sizes (the class of 2016 had 36 students). Situated on 60 acres of land, the campus includes outdoor classrooms, recently opened squash courts, two gyms and two soccer fields. An outdoor basketball court is currently under construction.
Second place: Highland School, Warrenton, HighlandSchool.org, 540-878-2700
Third place: St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School, Alexandria, SSSAS.org, 703-751-2700
Best Interior Design Firm
First place: J&L Interiors, Leesburg, JAndLInteriors.net, 703-737-7660
Twin sisters Julie Hoffmann and Lori DuVal of J&L Interiors offer what they refer to as “ceiling-to-floor” services, including space and light planning, assistance in selecting furnishings and artwork, and a blinds and cabinet division. Celebrating its 20th year in business, the firm works with both residential and commercial clients.
Second place: Liza Jane Interiors, Sterling, LizaJaneInteriors.com, 703-966-1554
Third place: Olamar Interiors, LLC, Bristow, OlamarInteriors.com, 571-239-8845
Best Kitchen Design Firm
First place: AKG Design Studio Park Garden Lane, Reston, AKGDesignStudio.com, 571-446-1108
Founder Anna Gibson (a National Kitchen and Bath Association certified designer) has been designing kitchens and bathrooms for more than a decade, in residential properties ranging from multi-unit condominiums to multi-million dollar homes. Along with cabinetry, the boutique design firm offers services in material selections and space planning.
Second place: Michael Nash Design, Build & Homes, Fairfax, Michael-Nash.com, 703-641-9800
Third place: Case Design/Remodeling, Inc., Falls Church, CaseDesign.com, 703-241-2980
Best Landscaping Company
First place: Surrounds, Inc., Sterling, SurroundsLandscaping.com, 703-430-6001
In 2002, Barry Schneider and Howard Cohen turned their focus from commercial to residential landscaping. “Landscaping for homeowners can be extra special; they’re making an emotional purchase,” explains Schneider. The company designs and installs waterscapes and pools; porches, patios and pergolas; and provides landscape maintenance, among other services.
Second place: Kane Landscapes, Inc., Sterling, KaneLandscapes.com, 703-803-3146
Third place: Merrifield Garden Center, Falls Church, MerrifieldGardencenter.com, 703-560-6222